A Race Against Time
by Kyra Renee
Summary: Fifty years after Commander Shepard sacrificed herself for the good of the galaxy, an asari scientist attempting to fix the destruction lands herself fifty years in the past aboard the Normandy. She knows how the story ends and when the chance to save her parents arises, will she risk altering the universe or let fate run its course? What happens when she falls in love?
1. Chapter 1

"You sure you want to do this?" The woman sat twisted around in her seat, staring at the asari from beneath thick rimmed glasses. Her blond hair was twisted into a tight knot at the base of her skull and she adjusted her glasses with a frown.

Was she sure? She had never been _more_ certain about anything in her life; she wanted to tell them all. This was the first working mass relay the galaxy had been privy to in almost fifty years. To be the first ship to successfully navigate the mass relay would earn them a spot in the history books-or something like that. It would be nothing as monumental as destroying them and saving the galaxy, per say, but it would be _something_. Something rather than nothing was really all Niali wanted.

Her fingers curled around the datapad in her hand and she nodded once in affirmation. The blond hesitated for a moment before turning back around with an exaggerated sigh. The asari wanted to assure them that it would be just fine and that everything pointed to the success of this jump, but she could see the doubt written all over their faces. They were scientists, researchers and skilled engineers—for them, the proof was always in the numbers and the proof _was_ there. She had spent many sleepless nights scouring over blueprints and reports to check for hiccups or inconsistencies. There had been none; at least none that had been an immediate concern.

She turned away from the cockpit and made her way back down to the bridge. "ETA is three minutes," the voice rang out overhead and Niali felt her heart skip a beat. In three minutes she would make history for the first time in fifty years. She and her crew would be the first to complete a mass relay jump and she smiled down at the message she had read at least a hundred times that day.

 _Be safe, be smart and be careful. Your father would be so proud of you.  
I will see you soon, my light. _

_All my love._

Niali tucked the datapad beneath her arm and watched her crew spring into action. "ETA, one minute." She was going to prove them all wrong and she could already hear their joyous shouts as they cracked open dusty old bottles and toasted to their own success. The Alliance would greet them like heroes; they would shower them with honors and she ran her fingers deftly over the embossed emblem on her uniform. This was almost better than saving the galaxy—this was _restoring_ it.

"Approaching the mass relay," the blond called over her shoulder and Niali left her post at the bridge to hurry towards the cockpit. She dug her fingernails in the back of the leather covered seat and gave a nod.

"Stations, everyone! Brace yourselves!" She could already feel the thrum beneath her feet and she tried to ignore the look of concern on the blonde's face as she swiveled back around in her chair to get them into position for the jump. Niali had been waiting for this moment for what felt like a lifetime and she swallowed hard as they approached the pulsating mass relay. The building suspense did little to calm her nerves and she bowed her head, "Do it," the command rolled off of her tongue smoothly and she fought the urge to close her eyes against the unknown. She couldn't, she had to see this for herself. Their ship had been specifically built for this, they could do this—they _would_ do this.

"God help us," the blond mumbled under her breath as she directed them into the relay. Niali watched the cabin fill with a blinding blue flash of light and she blinked. Her skin began to glow a violent shade of periwinkle and she looked down at her hand. The chair back was still solid and firm beneath her grasp and she lifted her gaze.

She heard it then: the sounds of crunching metal and screams of agony. In a single heartbeat, the blue turned an angry shade of red and Niali barely recognized the sound that had been ripped from her own lungs. The chair back was gone and she was spiraling downward. Her lungs constricted painfully and she gasped; clawing at her chest in an attempt to make them work again—to let her breathe.

She was dying. It was the only logical explanation for this intense and unyielding level of panic and pain. Her body remained intact but she felt torn into a thousand tiny pieces that had been scattered all across the galaxy. No one would ever find her. Her mother would never know what had happened.

 _Mother_.

Niali closed her eyes and tried to picture her face and the soothing cadence of her voice. Perhaps the memory alone would stop this horrible pain and make her passing easier. First her father had been taken from her mother and now Niali; all because of her own rash stupidity. There was no reason why it shouldn't have worked. The numbers were there and they had been fine! They had been more than fine, they had been _perfect_.

Her throat burned and her frantic hands grew still as her energy quickly depleted. Something was tearing her ship apart and her crew. They hadn't asked for any of it. A heavy weight settled against her chest and she could feel the universe pressing in on her from every side to swallow her whole.

It was cold. It was so very, very cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Death was not supposed to be uncomfortable. At least, not from what Niali had imagined. She had always been under the impression that dying would be a reprieve from the physical form and yet every inch of her body was being licked by painful flames. The surface beneath her was cold and unforgiving and she stretched her fingers, brushing them against the sides of her uniform. Her eyes opened slowly though she shut them immediately as a blinding white light flooded beneath her eyelids. A shadow passed above her face and she forced herself to wake up. She muddled through the fog of her subconscious mind to bring herself back to reality and she sucked in a deep breath through her protesting lungs before pushing it back out.

"At least she's alive," the voice was unfamiliar and she turned her head to the side, searching through the fog for the source. The disembodied voice had come from somewhere on her left and she reached instinctively for the pistol holstered at her hip. Her fingertips moved against the sleek belt and closed around the empty holster, causing panic to well up in her gut. She was defenseless and her first reaction was to sit up despite the white hot pain that shot from her shoulder and down into her fingertips. Her other arm did not move as willingly and she fell back as black dots popped in her line of vision and her head swam. What the hell had happened to her?

Footsteps echoed in the med bay and Niali cradled her arm against her chest, lifting her chin and squinting through the light towards the silhouette that moved just out of sight again. The hydraulics of the door released, signaling a new arrival into the room and Niali braced herself. This was not her ship, she knew that without question. Had pirates picked her up? Had pirates taken her entire crew? No, pirates would have thrown her in some sort of cell rather than a med bay that smelled like antiseptic and peppermint.

"Where am I?" Her voice hardly sounded like her own and she tucked her arm against her side as she shifted on the steel table, ready to swing her legs over the side and bolt for the nearest exit if necessary.

"Welcome to the _Normandy_ ," this voice was distinctly male and Niali snapped her head up to search for him in the room. "Boss sent me down here to check on you, see if you were up and about yet. How's she holding up, Doc?"

The woman shrugged as she leaned casually against her desk, studying the asari from a distance. Her silver streaked hair was combed to frame her face and her white uniform shone like a beacon in the sterile room. "Vitals are fine. Everything seems to be fully functioning. You were lucky we found you when we did. I still recommend getting checked once we dock at the Citadel."

The _Normandy_? Niali blinked in confusion and glanced around the med bay. "The _Normandy_ went out of commission years ago," she explained, shaking her head. "Is this...a joke?"

The man and the woman exchanged a glance. "The original _Normandy_ was blown to bits, yeah. But this one is Cerberus built with a few minor Alliance modifications. You were only out for a few days, not years," he clarified and she studied him from across the room. His broad shoulders strained against the thin fabric of his shirt and she noted the tattoos peeking out from beneath his sleeves and collar. Thick bands of muscle covered his torso and biceps and she pressed a hand against her head.

"Look, if you have questions, the boss can answer them for you. I'm just the messenger," he held up his hands and shrugged, taking a step back towards the door. Niali glanced at the woman before scooting herself to the edge of the table and lowering herself down. An arm shot out to steady herself and her feet were unsure as she placed one in front of the other.

"Come back down here when you've finished and I'll finish my evaluation," the woman said with a thin lipped smile and a nod. Something about her was strangely familiar and Niali nodded. When she was finished speaking with the 'Boss' she hoped to be on her way out the door. The med bay was impressive, but not impressive enough to want to go back.

She limped after the man, rubbing at the aching muscles of her injured arm in an attempt to coax them back to life. What had she done to herself and where had her crew gone? If she had survived, surely they had as well. None of them were creative enough to play an elaborate prank on her and so she quickly dismissed that suspicion. There was something going on and the uncomfortable knot in her stomach only tightened as they stepped into the elevator.

She stood against the wall, her dark eyes never leaving the man that stood whistling just two feet away. He was a solider—an Alliance soldier. Aside from the emblem on his shirt, she could tell by the way he carried himself. But was he a true Alliance solider, she wondered, or had he gone rogue like so many others over the years? He never made a move to speak to her or so much as look at her, and she finally forced herself to look away as the elevator carried them up to the bridge. "This is our stop," he said finally, ushering her out of the elevator and around the corner.

The bridge was bustling and she marveled at how easily they moved around one another like the working cogs of a well-oiled machine. This was how a ship was supposed to operate, she told herself. Crew members weren't supposed to second guess and question orders like hers had. She swallowed the bitter feeling and followed after him, loosening up the muscles in her legs and allowing herself to fall back into an easy gait. Already she felt better and more alert, but her lack of a weapon was still unsettling.

"Lola! Look what I found. Doc said she should be fine," the man's booming voice carried across the bridge as a woman stepped sideways through the door, speaking in a hushed whisper to a young man who nodded before saluting and turning on his heel to return to duty. The woman turned slowly and Niali felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach.

"Thanks, James," the voice washed over her like a tidal wave and her eyes widened. This was no longer funny and she stopped, looking around for the owner of the clone. She had several choice words for them and whatever sick freak had gone through the trouble just to torment her would pay dearly. "How are you feeling?" Niali turned her attention back to the woman, aware that she was speaking to her directly now.

"What?" The asari sputtered, unsure if she had heard the woman correctly.

The woman blinked and glanced at the man before turning back to Niali. "Are you feeling any—"

"Who are you?" Her voice trembled at the question and the woman stopped in mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open for just a brief second before she composed herself. Niali noticed the bruise-like circles beneath her eyes and the pale pallor to her skin. Flyaway hairs had worked themselves loose from her tightly wound bun to frame her thin face.

"Commander Jane Shepard of the _Normandy,"_ she introduced herself slowly and Niali straightened her spine and set her jaw.

"No you aren't. Jane Shepard is dead," her voice was low and full of uncertainty and the woman tried to mask her annoyance as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Technically, I _did_ die. But—"

"Cerberus brought you back?" Niali finished, arching an eyebrow. Jane nodded, looking to James as she folded her arms across her chest.

"That's right. Mind telling me who _you_ are?" Niali balked and took a small step back. Everything looked so _real_. The sounds, the smells...she really could have been on the _Normandy_ for all she knew. But she wasn't and she had to remind herself that this was either some elaborate trick or a terrible nightmare. Or, she was dead and this was the Hell that had been reserved just for her.

Niali opened her mouth to respond as another voice interrupted. " _Commander Shepard, Dr. T'Soni would like a word with you when you have a moment_ ," the message was followed by a soft click and the asari glanced up.

"Thanks, EDI," Jane responded, uncrossing her arms and throwing James a look. "Take her to—"

"Dr. Liara T'Soni?" Niali questioned, her voice breaking in panic and an urgency to know. "She's here?"

"Yes," Jane answered slowly, drawing out the word. "Do you know her?"

Niali hesitated and the first response that came to mind was a hastily murmured, "No." Something strange was afoot and Niali found herself even more confused and on edge than she had been before.

"Right. Well, as I was saying: James could you please take her back down to the med bay? I'll stop down to talk to Dr. Chakwas when I'm finished," she cast the asari another long look before stepping around them and heading for a door to the right of the elevator. Niali stared after her, ignoring the uneasy look from the bulky man beside her. He thought she was insane—completely mental—and at that point, she would not have disagreed with him. She was on a ghost ship and it made her skin crawl. It was a stretch, but the question was out before logic could catch up.

"Hey, James?" She questioned, addressing him by name as turned her head slowly to look at him. "Can I ask you something?"

He hesitated, but he nodded and she looked around slowly, trying to digest it all as she parted her lips and tried to remember how to breathe. "What year is it?"

Another moment of silence he cleared his throat, "Twenty-one-eighty-six," he rubbed curiously at his chin and she sucked in a deep breath. _2186_? That was impossible.

"And this is the _Normandy_?" She continued to press him and he continued to nod as he inched back towards the elevator after the commander. "And...where did you find me, exactly?"

"Maybe I should let Doc explain that one. Her version is probably better than mine," he offered her a sheepish smile as he ushered her back onto the elevator and she swallowed down the growing lump in her throat.


	3. Chapter 3

_Commander Jane Shepard. Liara T'Soni_.

The names swam around in her head as she tried to grasp onto them and digest her current situation. The year was 2186 according to James and she was on the _Normandy_ ; the same ship that had traversed the galaxy in all of those heroic tales her mother had recited with painful accuracy.

The ping of the elevator caused her to jump and James arched an eyebrow before skirting around her and leading the way back to the med bay. He nodded in greeting to a handful of soldiers seated around a table; their heads bent low in conversation and their hands clasped tightly in front of them. The tension was palpable as a news vid rolled on a datapad placed in the center of the table.

The Reapers were continuing their assault, the broadcast announced. Refugees were pouring into the Citadel by the minute and another planet had gone black. Things were going from bad to worse and Niali tore her attention away from the group as she entered the med bay once more.

Dr. Chakwas turned in her seat, removing a pair of spectacles from the bridge of her nose and placing them gently atop a small stack of paperwork. "Back so soon?" She offered a smile and Niali hesitated. She needed more answers and she hoped that this woman would be able to provide them without asking too many questions in return.

"I'll, uh, leave you to it then," James didn't wait for a proper dismissal before ducking out of the med bay and disappearing behind the air tight door. Alone with the good doctor, Niali rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as the woman stood and gestured towards the table her inert body had occupied not ten minutes ago. Nodding in acknowledgement, she crossed the room and climbed back up, crossing her ankles while trying not to squirm beneath the woman's cold hands.

"How do you feel?" That seemed to be the question of the hour and Niali considered her answer. She felt fine, all things considered. Her arm still troubled her but everything else seemed to be in working order.

"I feel alright," her voice sounded strange to her own ears and she turned her head as the woman nodded, feeling along her collarbone and down the length of her injured arm.

"Your range of motion should return soon. Best practice is to keep it moving. Babying it will only take it longer to heal," she explained and Niali murmured a quick ' _thank you_.' She hoped that would be the end of the examination, but the woman remained by her side and she tried to straighten her spine and set her jaw. Intimidation would not work in her favor here and she quickly deflated and looked down at her hands.

"I don't remember what happened," she said quietly, lacing her fingers together and letting them rest in her lap.

"I was afraid of that," the woman exhaled. "When we found you, you were the only soul on board the wreckage. It was a miracle the seal had held for as long as it did, I imagine you were out there for quite some time. By all rights you should have been dead but here you are with little more than a scratch on you."

"So my crew...?"

"There was no one left when we got there. I'm sorry," the sincerity in her voice was crushing and Niali bit down on her bottom lip with a nod. Sorry didn't even begin to cover it. She was far more than sorry. She had risked all those lives, and for what? To end up in some twisted time warp of a nightmare? She was in a Reaper infested galaxy on board a ship that should not have been in service with ghosts for crew members. There was nothing sane about that and nothing that made the loss of life worth it.

"You suffered no head trauma and no trauma to your internal organs. As I said before, everything checks out fine," Dr. Chakwas placed a gentle hand on her forearm before moving away and returning to her seat. Picking up her glasses, she pushed them back up onto her nose and lifted a piece of paper. "So you're Alliance?"

"I...yes, I am," she answered hesitantly. "Although I'm not an active service member. I'm a scientist."

"I see. And do you have a name? Your tags were missing," she could hear the suspicion in the doctor's voice and she braced herself. They were going to arrest her unless she produced a name that would give them proof of her identity. But as she opened her mouth, she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth and she faltered.

"Niali...Jones," the same was painfully generic and she could have kicked herself in the ass, but it was too late now. Conducting a search now wouldn't pull her up anyway if she truly was in the year 2186. There would be no input yet from 2236 and nothing to indicate that Niali even existed because technically, she didn't. The thought was unsettling and she rubbed anxiously at her forehead.

"Niali, such a lovely name," the doctor complimented, turning her head around and Niali offered a forced smile.

Once more the door opened and Niali felt her stomach drop to the floor as Commander Shepard swept into the room. Her mere presence demanded attention and she felt her muscles tighten in anticipation for the onslaught that was sure to come. Despite her own nerves and the obvious toll that working to defeat the Reapers had taken on the Commander, Niali couldn't help but admire the other worldly beauty of the woman. She was visibly rough around the edges, but there was a certain softness to her eyes that Niali could not ignore.

"Ah, Commander. I was just about to send for you," Dr. Chakwas crossed one leg over the other and swiveled around to face them fully.

"Everything alright?" Dr. Chakwas nodded.

"Of course. Everything is fine, my dear. Niali and I were just trying to get to the bottom of locating her records," the asari could not make eye contact now and she stared at the scuff mark along the toe of her right boot. That hadn't been there before and she frowned.

"Right," Jane sounded less than impressed and Niali cringed. She was going to prison, that was the end of it. They would know she was lying. There was no Niali Jones. There was no Niali— _period_. "You're Alliance?"

Niali nodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip to keep from speaking. "I wasn't aware there were any other Alliance ships out this far. What were you doing?" It was just as she had expected and she let her shoulders rise and fall in a small shrug.

"Testing out the mass relays," she tried slowly.

"Testing out the mass relays?" Jane echoed back, arching an eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest. "Testing them for what?"

Niali squeezed her eyes shut. She was digging herself into a hole she knew she would never be able to climb out of and she opened her dark eyes as she lifted her head. "To make sure they were working. Look, Commander, it's difficult to explain and it's classified information that I'm not permitted to give. Not even to you," she found her voice though it wavered some despite her best efforts. The only way to keep herself free from shackles and a prison cell back at C-Sec would be to make herself useful and an important asset. If she had a purpose—if she could help them—then maybe she could navigate through the tricky waters without losing her head in the process. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to understand what had gone so wrong. But before she could get answers, she would first need to gain their trust and their favor.

That was going to be no easy task.

"Classified," the Commander repeated, her tone dry. "Alright. Fine. I have nowhere to keep you until this is confirmed and you can't stay here for Dr. Chakwas to watch. I'm putting you under twenty-four hour supervision until we get back to the Citadel."

It was better than arrest, she supposed.

"Vega?" Dr. Chakwas questioned and Jane shook her head.

"Alenko. Get him down here, would you, EDI?" There was moment of silence before the voice sounded overhead again.

" _Major Alenko is on his way, Shepard_."


End file.
